The Delta independent., 1887-02-22
LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY IA.

senate Bill NO. 81. 10 estaDllsn tne
| County of Lincoln.
| House Joint Memorial No A: In regard
| to Oeomargarine.
Senator Ballard moved for the rccommit-
| tai of Senate Bill No. 81 to the Committee
| of the Whole.
At the afternoon session the Senate re-
| solved itself into Committee of the Whole
! on general orders.
Senate Bill No. G, Officers and Employees
OF the General Assembly, was considered
After considerable debate it was voted
| that the bill be recommended for reference
to the EngroSsment Committee and its final
passage.
and gift of Intoxicating liquOrs) was then
| read The bill is in brief a county local OPP
| tion bill, and provides for elections for the
| same to be held not Oftener than once in
two years.
The bin was amended so that a majority
| of the electors of every precinct shall con-
| troll the option.
HoUsE-A petition from Pagosa Springs
that Archuleta County be notanneXed to La
Plata County for judicial purposes was read
and referred.
A message from the Supreme Court, Civ
ing an opinion as to the cOnsttutionality Of
| House Bill No. 1856 was read, and the opin-
| ion was filed without reading The opinion
| is that women are not eligible to appoint
ment as nOtarieS public, il requiring an
| elector to fill that oIticp. The Court there
fore holds that House Bill No. 1856 is uncon-
stitutonal
Senate Bill No 12 concerning the hold.
! ing of courts in the Sixth judicial District)
\ was next considered. The bill is practically
a part of the Archuleta County troubles, and
came in for long discussion. The bill, as
amended by the committee, provides that
Archu!eta County shall be attached to La
| Plata County for judicial purposes.
Mr. Wells spoke in favor of the bill. He
Sald that there were not exceeding 40 voters
in Archuleta County, and that it would he
sti II q
troubles there to get jurymen whose minds
were not biased, as every man in the county
probably had his mind made up on one or
the other sides of the controversy The cost
of sustaining the court was also a heavy ey-
pense to the small population and he con-
sidered that, from all points, the best thing
to do was to change the court to La Plata
County.
Mr.. Adams offered an amendment to the
bill striking. out that relating TO the attach
ment TO La Plata county. He said the peO-
| pie there did not desire the removal of the
court. and it would be an unjust act to re-
move it.
The amendment was adopted by vote of
20 to II. and after the adoption of amend
ments to make other sections conform to
the Adams amendment the bill was reported
to the House for passage.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY Is.
! SENATE. - The fOlowing-named bills
came up for third reading and We're passed: :
Senate bill No. 122: clerks of courts; Senate
| bill 1h0: insurance department: Senate
bill 142: criminal code; and Senate bill
| 125: high explosives.
Senate bill No. 134, by Senators Ballard
and kinkaid, was called up. 1t is a bill to
| establish judicial districts and holding
courts therein. The bill was debated very
| thoroughly, almost every Senator taking a
hand in the discussion.
Senator Montez moved that Huerfano
| county be annexed to the Sixth Judicial
| District
| Senator Barela opposed the amendment
| in an earnest speech, calling ont lively
| Interpreted speech from Senator MonteZ.
| The amendment was adopted, and the bill
was then recommended for reference TO the
Committee on Revision.
| HoUsE.-A petition of the farmers of
| Larmer county, concerning proposed irri
| CATION laws, was read and referred TO the
| Irrigation Committee.
A petition was presented by Mr.. Ham
mitt from people in Weld County, request
| ing the passage of Senate bill No. 1l3, pro-
yiding for the appointment of Superinten-
dents of Irrigation.
| Among the regular committee reports
| was one which indefinitely postponed the
| school.
House bill No. 40, by Mr.. T. B. Stuart, to
| amend sections 3 and of an act entitled an
| act to create the Office of Chaplain of the
| Penitentiary, was read for the third time
tO3.
House bill No. 4s, by Mr.. T. B. Stuart, in
reference to deeds, mortgages and other
| instruments affecting lands, took its third
| reading and final passage by vote of -
| to 10.
| House bill No. Ga, by Mr.. Shaw. exempt
ing active members of the Colorado Ma
tional Guard from involuntary duty for
| four years after their honorable discharge,
| was read for the third time and passed by
| a vote of 80 to9
| AT the afternoon session the House re-
| solved itself into Committee of the Whole
| for the consideration of the special order of
the afternoon, which was House Bill No.
| ~. to prohibit and punish eXtOrtiOn by
ditch-owners, lessees and other claimants of
bitches, canals or reservoirs, their officers
and agents, in or by demanding or rpceiY-
ing royalty, bonus, or payment for privileges
| to procure water from such bitches, canals
| or reservoirs.
| Mr.. Russell offered an amendment to the
| first section in the following words: "and
| the person or persons instituting such suit
| for the recovery of royalty when paid shall
forfeit all rights to buy water of such ditch
| company or corporation acquired by the
payment of such royalty
| Mr.. Prentiss, as soon as the amendment
| was read, said that he was surprised that
any man on the floor of this House should
| have nerve enough to saya word in favor of
the Imonopolizing, soul-grasping ditch COM
panies.
Mr.. Stuart (Speaker) made speech
| in favor of the bill He referred to
| the constitutional rights of the people con-
cerning water-rights AM said that the ditch
| companies were simply common carriers.
| The ditch companies, or at least some of
them, he said, compelled the farmers 10
pay royalty of from so to S15 per acre,
| simply to begin negotiations with them.
| lie compared this to man buying a rail
| way ticket from Denver TO Omaha, paying
the regular price for it. and then paying
| the ticket-seller $50 tor the privilege Ofbuy-
| ing the ticket, or paying a rate of 81 day
at the Windsor Hotel and then also paying
a royalty of $50 for the privilege of stop
| ping at the hotel. Some companies, he said,
charged as high a royalty as Sl7.
A voice: Eyes: $50"
Men are compelled to pay from $17 to $50
| per acre, Continued the speaker, and then
| sometimes they do not get the water, ana,
| if the amendment is adopted, they could
not sue for their rights, for if they did so
| the ditch company could afterwards refuse
| tn furnish them any water at all, and they
would be pOwerless to prevent it. The bill
| prohibited this eXtortion. II said nothing
| about ditch stock, in similar cases, as re
| ferred to by Mr. Wells. He said the House
| might as well kill the bill as adopt the
amendment
Mr.. Skitf spoke in favor of the bill. He
said he was connected as an employe, with
six of the largest ditch companies in the
ciateS could see any objection to the bill.
Mr. Skiff said good share of the trouble
rested with the County commissioners in
designating the price of water. The ditch
companies with which he was connected,
Mr. Skiif said often did not charge one-half
the price allowed by the County Commits
SiOnerS.